Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to impose a ban on people visiting clothes shops to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the UK.

lord bethell: On 23 March, the Government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.As part of these measures, to reduce social contact, the Government issued guidance ordering that all shops and organisations which are not essential to everyday life, including clothes shops, close. Online retail is still open and encouraged. Postal and delivery services are also running. A copy of the full online guidance is attached.



HL2712_guidance
(PDF Document, 118.58 KB)

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord clement-jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are giving to live music venues, retailers and recording studios on whether they shouldclose due to COVID-19.

lord bethell: On 23 March the Government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered businesses and venues to close, except those with exemptions. With regard to music venue exemptions, small group performances for the purposes of live streaming could be permissible where Public Health England guidelines are observed, and no audience members attend the venue.Further social distancing measures have also been enacted with the banning of all mass gatherings.

NHS: Migrant Workers

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staffemployed in the National Health Service are not British citizens.

lord bethell: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.As at December 2019, the latest available data, there were 166,857 non-United Kingdom nationals (excluding unknowns) employed in National Health Service trusts and CCGs.

Health Services: Hotels

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to use hotels to treat patients withCOVID-19.

lord bethell: There are no plans to use hotels for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.The National Health Service currently reports that hospital bed capacity is sufficient to manage the demand from COVID-19 patients.The Department continues to work with the hotel sector to support the effort to tackle COVID-19 through provision of accommodation for key workers.

Coronavirus: Diabetes

lord mann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have provided to (1) employers, and (2) key workers, with (a) type 1, and (b) type 2, diabetes about self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord bethell: Public Health England (PHE) has published guidance on social distancing for the United Kingdom population, including those with diabetes type 1 and 2. Those with diabetes are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and so must be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures.PHE has also published stay at home guidance which is applicable to anyone with diabetes, type 1 or 2. A copy of the guidance is attached.



HL2873_guidance
(PDF Document, 80.68 KB)

Coronavirus: Screening

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government why there has been a delayin having sufficient kits for (1) antigen testing, and (2) serological testing, for the COVID-19 virus.

lord bethell: Testing is a crucial part of the United Kingdom’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Government is working on multiple fronts to deliver additional testing capacity to the system.The Government’s Chief Medical Officer has previously said that there is huge global demand for testing supplies. The Government is working with industry to obtain maximum possible supplies for the UK and with the scientific community to explore innovative new options for test kits, working within existing safety standards and regulations.

Coronavirus: Screening

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people a day they expect to be able to receive (1) an antigen test, and (2) a serological test, for the COVID-19 virus (a) one week, (b) two weeks, (c) four weeks, and (d) six weeks, from 25 March 2020; and how such testing will be organised and prioritised.

lord bethell: The information is not available in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Lung Diseases

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of complications experienced by patients with COVID-19 who have lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

lord bethell: People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at very high risk of severe illness as a result of COVID-19.From 21 March, letters are being sent out from general practitioners to the 1.5 million patients with pre-existing health conditions which put them most at-risk from serious complications from COVID-19.People who are extremely vulnerable will be advised to stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for a period of at least 12 weeks from the day they receive their letter.

Coronavirus: Drugs

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a sufficient supply of drugs and medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord bethell: As part of our concerted national efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are doing everything we can to ensure patients continue to access safe and effective medicines.The Department is working closely with the pharmaceutical industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to help ensure patients can access the medicines they need, and precautions are in place to reduce the likelihood of future shortages.The Department shares regular information about impending supply issues and management plans with the NHS via networks in primary and secondary care and will liaise with relevant patient groups about issues affecting specific medicines.